Collision site well-known glider haven

Aug. 30, 2006

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A day after a glider and charter jet collided in mid-air, soaring group officials questioned why airplanes approaching Reno are directed over a mountain range known to be crowded with gliders trying to catch an updraft or wind.

An eight-passenger jet on standard approach to Reno-Tahoe International Airport was traveling at nearly 475 mph when it hit a glider at about 16,000 feet, the Federal Aviation Administration reported. No one was seriously injured.

Glider pilots said the skies above the Pine Nut Mountains where the collision occurred between the Hawker XP800 jet and the Schleicher ...